gdsfandomcom-20200214-history
Canada
History While the 1960s had several Canadian wrestlers making huge names for themselves in the US, the sport itself in Canada was virtually non-existent. A handful of regional promotions were in business, but they were lucky to draw a hundred people to a show, let alone the thousands that one of the red-hot American promotions could pull in for a big show. In 1974, the legendary Ed "The Strangler" Henson had finally decided to retire. The Canadian grappler, who had been one of the biggest draws in the States throughout the 50s and 60s, returned to his home in Calgary and tried to capitalise on his popularity by opening the Canadian Wrestling Federation, the first big promotion in the country. After a slow start, the CWF picked up a lot of steam when Henson managed to persuade several other big name Canadian wrestlers to join him. Dan Stone, who was at the peak of his powers as perhaps the greatest heavyweight wrestler in the world, was the jewel in the crown, and the face of the company. Along with Stone, the CWF also welcomed George DeColt, Whipper Spencer Marks, and The Canadian Superstar (Jackson Andrews). All four of these new signings were already major names in the USA, and so provided proven drawing power as well as exceptional wrestling ability. The company went from strength to strength, and between 1975 and 1982 was incredibly popular, to the extent that even the juggernaut that was the Supreme Wrestling Federation in America didn't dare to try and crack the Canadian market. Business started to tail off after 1982, mainly because of a lack of expansion. While SWF couldn't break into America because of CWF's popularity, the reverse was also true, and the Canadian Wrestling Federation couldn't even consider running shows in the US. They did however continue to make a healthy profit, and their shows were universally praised for their quality. Dan Stone was a fine champion, and the Calgary Wolverines tag team, consisting of George DeColt and Whipper Spencer Marks, was rapidly gaining a reputation as being one of the finest tandems in history. In 1985, having accomplished all that he possibly could, Dan Stone took the huge decision to leave and set up his own company, North Of The Border Pro Wrestling, buying out the Alberta and Toronto regional territories as a way to begin the new promotion. This was done with Ed Henson's blessing, as a thank you for all of Stone's hard work over the previous decade. The two companies existed in harmony, with a number of wrestlers moving between the companies from time to time as a way to keep their character fresh. Unfortunately, one wrestler who was unable to do that was George DeColt, who was forced into retirement in 1986 with an arm injury. He remained a key part of the CWF though, working as assistant booker to Henson. Unfortunately, January 3rd 1989 was a black day for Canadian wrestling, as Ed Henson passed away after a short illness. This marked the end of the CWF, and was also the end for two of its biggest names, as both Spencer Marks and The Canadian Superstar decided to call time on their careers. George DeColt headed south, where he worked backstage for the Supreme Wrestling Federation. This proved an important point, as the year he spent with the SWF convinced DeColt that the "sports entertainment" package that Richard Eisen was promoting was the way forward. Returning to Canada, DeColt politely declined Dan Stone's offer of a position with NOTBPW, and instead founded Canadian Golden Combat, a promotion where his vision of "a Canadian SWF" could happen. The Canadian scene has remained like that, with the traditional values of NOTBPW going head-to-head with the entertainment aspects of CGC, ever since. Locations The Maritimes *All Canada Pro Wrestling *North Of The Border Pro Wrestling Quebec *Quebec Pro Wrestling Ontario *Canadian Charisma Championship Combat The Prairies *Canadian Women's Wrestling Federation British Columbia *Canadian Golden Combat *Canadian Wrestling Federation Category:LocationCategory:History